Previous meetings: The Spurs won 99-95 in New Orleans on Oct. 31, 99-94 in San Antonio on Dec. 21; the Hornets won 95-88 in New Orleans on Jan. 7.

The rundown

The Hornets’ poor record does not reflect how close the series has been this season.

The Spurs needed some late clutch shooting from Tony Parker to win the first meeting, and the Hornets won the most recent in sound fashion. It was the second victory in a season-best stretch of seven in nine games. While the surge hasn’t done much to dig the Hornets out of their hole near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, they’re shown grit to overcome a 7-25 start that featured an 11-game losing streak.

It’s not surprising that the Hornets’ resurgence has coincided with the return of shooting guard Eric Gordon. Not that he’s played great consistently. Indeed, Gordon is shooting only 38.4 percent from the floor, more than seven points below his career average. But he gives the Hornets an offensive focal point, and that’s helped them win in seven of his 10 appearances this season.

If only Gordon could fix, or even partially mitigate, New Orleans’ poor defense. The Hornets continue to rank near the bottom of the league in 3-point and field goal defense (22nd and 28th, respectively) and overall defensive efficiency. Even with a stifling performance against Boston, their last six opponents are averaging 109.6 points per 100 possessions.

The Hornets have managed to win four of those games, however, and that’s something for a team that hasn’t had much to get excited about this season.

Injury report

PF Anthony Davis (ankle), questionable

What to watch

* Point guard Greivis Vasquez is coming into his own in his third season. He’s pushed his season averages up to 14.3 points, 9.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds to become the only player in the NBA at those thresholds. Ball security – Vasquez ranks fifth with 3.4 turnovers per game – and defense remain issues, however.

* The Spurs have done an exceptional job against Hornets sharpshooter Ryan Anderson, holding him to 31.6 shooting with six total 3-pointers in three meetings. He still leads the NBA with 125 3-pointers, and remains on pace to finish within range of Ray Allen’s single-season record of 269.

* New Orleans’ recent hot streak matches up perfectly with Al-Farouq Aminu’s return to the starting lineup after a brief spell on the bench. He’s grabbed at least 10 rebounds in seven of those nine games, including double-doubles in each of the past two to match his total for the first 26 outings of the season.